They're not allowed to be after so many losing seasons. The mere suggestion that his team could overlook an opponent is comedic.

"They won't be overlooking anybody," Del Rio told Sirius XM NFL Radio with Alex Marvez and Bill Polian. "We've got to make sure we continue to work ourselves as a football team first of all. That question to me is kind of humorous. I just don't even buy it at all."

It's only Week 4; the Raiders look promising, but they're still playoff outsiders. Del Rio knows full well it's been 13 seasons since the team won anything meaningful.

But this weekend's matchup has all the signs of a classic trap game. The Raiders are winning, the Bears are winless, and a Week 5 showdown with the Denver Broncos is looming.

Del Rio won't even entertain a thought about that divisional game. And his Raiders players shouldn't, either.

"This is the National Football League," he said. "I think too much is written and too much is said about just a real small sample. We get a chance to define ourselves each week when we perform on Sundays. Chapter Four is coming up."